Unfuck Your Anxiety by Harper PhD LPC-S ACS ACN Faith G.; & Unknown

Author:Harper, PhD, LPC-S, ACS, ACN, Faith G.; & Unknown [Harper, Faith G. & Unknown]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Microcosm Publishing LLC
Published: 2021-03-15T16:59:21+00:00

Medication

Anxiolytics

The medication we usually think of for anxiety disorders are the anxiolytics, which are a class of sedative medications called benzodiazepines. Their calming effect comes by raising the level of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA in the brain. Benzos are meant to be a short term medication, while you build other anxiety management skills. The general rule is no longer than a year, and some prescribers will only prescribe them for a few months. While I have definitely known people on them for a long time, that is becoming increasingly rare since more and more prescribers are getting censured from their boards for doing so. They have side effects that include problems with balance, memory, and vision, and they increase drowsiness, which is great if you are trying to sleep but not great if you are trying to operate heavy machinery. Some people experience depressive symptoms on them as well.

They can also be habit-forming. There’s an increasing epidemic of benzodiazepine misuse, federal data show U.S. deaths associated with benzodiazepines increased from 135 in 1999 to 11,500 in 2017. Individuals at the FDA have said the number of individuals who were prescribed both opioids and benzodiazepines grew by 41% (2.5 million) between 2002 and 2014. This is important because while benzos can be fatal in and of themselves, overdose is typically caused in combination with opioids because the sedative effects of both exacerbate each other. “More than 30 percent of overdoses ascribed to the opioid crisis also involved benzodiazepines, and the population at the highest risk is individuals over 50.

I’m not saying all this to proclaim “oooh scary, no take!” but to reiterate these are strong medications with potentially serious consequences. And there are valid reasons for doctors being hesitant to prescribe them and/or continue to prescribe them over time. If you are on or looking to get on an anxiolytics, be prepared to have other active strategies in place so this isn’t your long term anxiety management plan. While these medications are used relatively interchangeably, a list of the common ones and how they are typically prescribed is here.

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